AC Milan claimed their inaugural victory in the Champions League campaign by defeating Paris Saint-Germain 2-1, significantly altering the dynamics of Group F. Milan Skriniar, formerly of Inter, kicked off the scoring for PSG with a header. However, Rafael Leao swiftly equalized, and in the second half, Olivier Giroud’s powerful header secured an exhilarating and memorable triumph for Milan.
After Borussia Dortmund’s triumph over Newcastle United earlier on Tuesday, all four teams are now separated by just three points heading into the final two matchdays.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek sent a blistering shot just over the crossbar in the early stages, setting the tone for a spirited start by Milan. However, it was Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) that took an early lead as the former Inter captain, Skriniar, found himself unmarked at the back post and headed in from a corner.
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Milan had a golden opportunity to reply swiftly when Yunus Musah had a clear shot on goal, but he fired directly at Gianluigi Donnarumma. However, Milan’s equalizer came in the 12th minute as Donnarumma parried Olivier Giroud’s strike into the air, where Rafael Leao executed an acrobatic effort to finally find the back of the net for Milan.
Kylian Mbappe raced through on goal, seemingly destined to score, but he misjudged his strike and scuffed the ball well wide, leaving the crowd in stunned silence.
Ousmane Dembele then struck the crossbar, and Olivier Giroud narrowly missed the target at the opposite end, as both teams intensified their efforts in a high-octane first 45 minutes. Despite a flurry of shots, neither side managed to find the back of the net again before halftime.
The second half began at a similar pace, with Tijani Reijnders firing wide in the opening minutes. Milan surged ahead by the 50th minute when Giroud powered a header into the net from a perfectly delivered cross by Theo Hernandez.
Now leading, Milan switched their focus somewhat, settling into a rigid shape and challenging PSG to break them down for the final 30 minutes.
On a rare foray forwards as the club ticked over to 85, substitute Noah Okafor bent a glorious effort towards Donnarumma but the Italian did well to get down and turn the ball beyond his post. The ensuing corner also led to some penalty-box chaos from which Okafor blazed over.
In the dying embers, Maignan tipped Lee Kang-in’s low drive on to his post, helping Milan to hold on to a huge victory.